attended the show with Army Sgt. Chris McGinnis and others on t

The Steven Stamkos sweepstakes didnt even reach the official start of NHL free agency.The Tampa Bay Lightning?signed their star captain to an eight-year deal Wednesday, keeping him off the market two days before free agency begins.?I am excited to move forward with the Lightning today for the next eight years, Stamkos said in a statement. Its not often that a player gets the chance to spend his career in one organization and I am hopeful that this agreement sets me on that path with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Most importantly, I look forward to working with my teammates, coaches and our management in our pursuit of winning a Stanley Cup.An NHL source said the contract is worth an average of $8.5 million annually. Only $1 million per year of that, however, is in pure salary; the rest is payable in signing bonuses. The deal also includes a full no-movement clause for all eight seasons, a source said.?We were just in a little group chat with the boys, and were all just so excited, so happy that hes coming back, Lightning veteran Brian Boyle said. Obviously, its been probably a process for him, but it just shows you the character he has and the kind of guy he is and what he really wanted. We couldnt be more thrilled to have him back. Hes our captain, our leader.Stamkos has spent his entire eight-year career with the Lightning, who drafted him No. 1 overall in 2008. He has scored 312 goals in 569 games since beginning his career in 2008-09, second only to Alex Ovechkin (362) over that span. He has averaged 0.55 goals per game in his career.The Markham, Ontario, native is a four-time All-Star and has led the Lightning in goals in six of the past seven seasons, including two seasons of 50 or more goals: 51 in 2009-10 and 60 in 2011-12.?Stamkos was the rare franchise player set to hit free agency after contract talks with the Lightning extended into this weeks interview window, and the interest in him was intense. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens were all expected to be in on Stamkos when he hit free agency Friday, but his desire to win a Stanley Cup with the team that drafted him won out.We are very appreciative of the effort and commitment that Steven and his representatives have exhibited in getting a deal done, GM Steve Yzerman said. We are excited to have him as a cornerstone part of the team for the next eight years as we continue in the franchises ultimate goal of winning another Stanley Cup.The Lightning advanced to the Stanley Cup finals in 2015. This spring, with Stamkos out recovering from a blood clot, they reached the Eastern Conference finals, falling to the?Pittsburgh Penguins?in seven games. Of all his?suitors, Tampa Bay was probably the closest to being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender in the short term.He has an opportunity, a rare opportunity, to go into free agency at such a young age, and obviously, he had a lot of suitors, a lot of dollar signs pointing at him, but what he wants to do is he wants to win, Boyle said. He takes being a captain very seriously, and he wants to win. He showed it in Game 7 against the Penguins, coming back and playing. He showed what a captain, a leader, a guy of high character should do. If hes leading the way, you better fall in line because thats the way things are going to go. Its a great strength of our team, and it goes to show you how strong of a character guy he is, and he makes everybody else better for it.?Stamkos was the focus for Yzerman,?but Yzermans work is just starting. The Lightning still need to sign restricted free agent Nikita Kucherov, who had a breakout postseason during Stamkos absence.There is also speculation that the Lightning might need to trade a goalie, with Bishop the most likely candidate.On Friday, the Lightning also can sign franchise defenseman Victor Hedman to a contract extension.It makes for a busy offseason for Yzerman, but the most challenging deal is done.Information from ESPNs Joe McDonald and Pierre LeBrun was used in this report. Matt Milano Youth Jersey . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Josh Allen Womens Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. http://www.shoptheofficialbills.com/Elite-Jim-Kelly-Bills-Jersey/ . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Jim Kelly Womens Jersey . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. O. J. Simpson Jersey .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. WASHINGTON -- There isnt a day that goes by that Stephanie Morris doesnt think about June 18, 2013, and how her life changed after that fateful day at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.Morris, an Army specialist, had recently exchanged birthday gifts with her roommate on what was supposed to be an otherwise nondescript day on the air base as they walked to the bus stop.And then we got indirect fire, Morris said. Two rocket-propelled grenades came in back-to-back, and we were all on the ground. I tried to get up, but I couldnt. I was screaming, but I was the only one screaming.Morris wrapped a Mickey Mouse blanket she had received as a gift around her roommate, but it wasnt enough. Morris was the only one of the five wounded to survive the indirect enemy fire. Morris fractured her left femur and her right foot, and was airlifted to a medical center in Germany, and eventually medevacked to the Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.Its hard to push forward when you were the only survivor, Morris said. Its hard when your four battle buddies were [killed in action].Morris, who is now 27, was sent to Walter Reed to begin her recovery. It was also where she found an outlet and a path to normalcy that didnt seem possible before. She got involved in adaptive sports and began to rekindle her love for volleyball and basketball, although she now had to learn how to transfer her skills to sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.WWE wrestlers are learning how to play wheelchair basketball today at the Naval Support Activity in Bethesda. pic.twitter.com/4khQT7DD54- Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) December 13, 2016The rules are pretty much the same, but the shooting is a lot different, Morris said. You have to learn how to maneuver the chair too. It takes time.After more than 30 failed surgeries, Morris elected to have her right leg amputated below the knee in July. The constant pain she was in before and the seemingly never-ending frustration of unsuccessful surgeries have subsided -- and shes learning to walk with a prosthetic leg.While she still undergoes physical therapy every day, Morris appears at home on the basketball court, effortlessly grabbing rebounds and gliding up the court for an easy lay-up. On Dec. 13, she had the opportunity to not only serve as a player, but a coach as well, when WWE wrestlers came to the Naval Support Activity Gym in Bethesda as part of the companys annual Tribute to the Troops outreach. During the day, WWE wrestlers visited Fort Meade and NSA Bethesda to highlight the USOs 75th anniversary.Morris admits she is more of an old-school wrestling fan, cheering for wrestlers like?The Undertaker?and Diamond Dallas Page growing up, but she quickly became a fan of many of the?current WWE superstars as she taught?The New Day?(Big E,?Kofi Kingston?and?Xavier Woods),?Dana Brooke,?Charlotte Flair, Bob Backlund and?Darren Young?how?to?play?wheelchair basketball.It was quite interesting to takee them out of their comfort zone and what theyre used to and have them do what we do, Morris said.dddddddddddd It was interesting watching them try to maneuver out there. They have what theyre good at, [and] we have what were good at, I guess.Some wrestlers picked up on wheelchair basketball quicker than others. Brooke scored the first baskets of the game and routinely asked Morris questions about maneuvering around in her wheelchair.It was difficult, to be honest, to stop and go, and turning left or right, Brooke said. Holding the ball in my lap was the hardest part, because as your moment is going and you stop, the ball wants to go forward. But just being here is amazing. What these troops have done for us, if we can help out in some small way by being here or putting on a show for them tonight, its an honor.By the end of the game, Morris had become a fan of all the wrestlers who played wheelchair basketball, especially The New Day, who made her get up from her wheelchair and take a picture with them after the game was over.Its inspiring, Woods said. They are kind enough to take us into their world during the day and treat us as one of their own, and later on we can take them into our world. They show us what they do, and we show them what we do, and theres a connection, a bond, when the day is done.After the wheelchair basketball game and lunch with the wrestlers at the USO Warrior and Family Center in Bethesda, where Backlund and Young served chicken and pasta, and Flair and?Mark Henry?handed out autographed photos, many of the troops made the 30-minute trip to Washington, D.C., later that night to watch the WWE tape their Tribute?to the Troops show at the Verizon Center.Morris attended the show with Army Sgt. Chris McGinnis and others on their wheelchair basketball team currently training for the Warrior Games, which is an annual adaptive-sports competition for wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans, which will take place in Chicago in June.Its nice to get a break and come with everyone I practice with and play adaptive sports with and enjoy this together, Morris said while taking her seat at the Verizon Center. We play all the time, and were training for the Warrior Games right now, which includes each branch of the military against each other.As Morris looked around the arena during a commercial break, she smiled at the sight of members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard at the WWE Tribute to the Troops show wearing their uniforms and cheering whenever their branch was shouted out.Although we all come from different backgrounds, we have that brotherhood and sisterhood, Morris said. Theres a camaraderie and bond weve built that go way past anything. Theres nothing quite like it, but when you see it on a day like today at an event like this, its special. ' ' '